Draft Dawgs: Which NFL team is best fit for Georgia RB Sony Michel?

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During draft season, a lot of folks try to figure out which players are the best fits for each team. But we’re taking the opposite approach and figuring out which team is the best fit for each player. Over the last few weeks, I’ve given you a Bulldogs-by-Bulldogs look at which NFL team is most likely to help each reach their full potential. Today is the final post in that series. (Check below for links to the other nine.) Here’s a look at running back Sony Michel.

Sony Michel, RB

5-foot-11, 22o pounds

Projected: Round 2

Michel played the Robin to Nick Chubb’s Batman for most of his Georgia career. But through an outstanding senior season and heartfelt expressions of gratitude to the UGA faithful, Michel shed his “other man” status and even became a bit of a folk hero late in his UGA career. He’s also put himself in position to be one of the first running backs taken, maybe even the second overall following Saquon Barkley of Penn State. Michel has drawn favorable comparisons to reigning NFL Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara, which could be both a blessing and a curse.

Best fit: Philadelphia Eagles

I don’t know if there’s a skill position prospect who wouldn’t jump at the chance to play for Doug Pederson in the Super Bowl champs’ innovative offense. For Michel specifically, there are opportunities ready to be taken in the Philly backfield. LeGarette Blount and Darren Sproles are both on the other side of 30 and entering free agency. Jay Ajayi, meanwhile, has just one more year on his contract. Pederson has primarily run a committee of backs in Philly, an ideal scenario for Michel. It would give him a chance to show what he can do without too much pressure being thrust upon him immediately. From there, he can either become “the guy” and go on to a starring role with Philly or another club, or, thanks to splitting carries his entire college career and during his first stint in the NFL, go on to a longer-than-usual pro career. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Yante Maten named AP SEC Player of the Year

Although it’s been a poor season for Georgia hoops, Yante Maten is getting his due. The senior was named the 2017-18 SEC men’s basketball Player of the Year by The Associated Press. He was also one of two unanimous selections to the AP All-SEC team, the other being Grant Williams of Tennessee. Maten averaged 19.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season.

Maten’s UGA career isn’t over just yet, though. The Bulldogs face Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The Dawgs (16-14) would likely have to pull a 2008 and win the whole dang thing in St. Louis in order to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Heading into the tourney, Maten is single-minded in his focus.

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Haley Clark, the @SEC's Women's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year has been named one of three finalists for the prestigious Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Athlete of the Year award, presented by @DiverseIssues!